1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a surface emitting semiconductor laser, a surface emitting semiconductor laser device, an optical transmission device, and an optical information processing device.
2. Related Art
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is utilized as a light source of a communication device and an image forming apparatus. A typical VCSEL of selective oxidization type has a vertical resonator structure in which a current confining layer having an oxidized aperture defined by selective oxidization is formed. The oxidized aperture confines current applied via an electrode and injects current thus confined in an active region. Further, the oxidized aperture confines light generated in the active region in the center of emission due to the difference between the inside of the oxidized aperture and the outside thereof. Furthermore, the oxidized aperture is formed in an elliptic shape in a substance plane vertical to the optical axis, so that the polarized plane of laser can be controlled to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the oxidized aperture.